


This is a Strange Country

by MoStan



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24433567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoStan/pseuds/MoStan
Summary: In which Tzuyu has just arrived in Korea, and meets one girl who tells her she loves her, and another who asks if she's pretty.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu & Kim Dahyun, Chou Tzuyu & TWICE Ensemble, Chou Tzuyu/Park Jisoo | Jihyo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	This is a Strange Country

This is a strange country. 

That's the first and only thought that had been lingering on Tzuyu's mind since she had started her first day in the company.

Tzuyu had expected things to be awkward, of course. The only Korean words she knew were "Hello", "Goodbye", and "Bread". Even more so, she was the only trainee in the company thus far from Taiwan, or to even speak Mandarin at all. Add her lack of knowledge on Korean culture and mannerisms to the language barrier, and Tzuyu thought anything less than a disaster on her first day would be perfection. However, what happened was far different than what she could have ever imagined. 

The beginning of her day started off pretty normally. She entered the company and was informed by one of the staff members via google translate that another trainee would be touring her around the company. 

The language barrier was apparent, but Tzuyu had already expected that. The tour mostly consisted of the other trainee pointing to different rooms within the company along with some gestures that made it feel like a game of charades. Tzuyu might not have been in Korea for long yet, but the annoyance the other girl held towards her could be felt past the different cultures. Tzuyu slumped her shoulders and kept her head down, not wanting to annoy the girl any further. 

"이것은 실습실입니다," the girl said while pointing to another room. 

Although Tzuyu hadn't understood anything that had come out of the girl's mouth, she could see the group of girls practicing some dances through the glass door. 'Into the New World!' Tzuyu thought. She had recognized it as one of the songs she had danced to at her Dance Academy back in Taiwan.

Tzuyu was brought out of her musings by what sounded like more gibberish to her.   
"당신은 들어갈 수 있습니다," the girl said, pointing to the inside of the practice room.

"그게 네 침대 야," she continued, this time gesturing over to another door a few feet in front of them.

The confusion must have been evident on her face since the girl mimed a sleeping gesture this time, annoyance seeping into her facial expressions even more.

Not wanting to irritate her any further, Tzuyu bowed and said one of the three Korean words she knew-"Goodbye". The girl promptly left, leaving Tzuyu stranded with a huge suitcase that held her entire belongings from her life in Taiwan, and a Mandarin to Korean dictionary on her phone. For the first time since she arrived, Tzuyu felt truly alone. Saying goodbye to her parents at the airport and boarding the plane to a foreign land where she knew nothing and nobody was hard, don't get her wrong, but she had no time to feel lonely. The only feelings running through her were excitement, nervousness, but most of all hope. Hope that this decision to move to another country by herself as barely a teenager would work out. Hope that even though she had no family or friends in Korea, she would make some. 

Now, standing in front of the practice room door, all Tzuyu felt was the nervousness.

Still, she pushed through and opened the door. A few girls drenched in sweat glanced her way, and after a few moments one of the older girls seemed to have noticed her. She walked over to the speaker and stopped the music.

"잠시 쉬자," she said, and just like that the other girls dispersed. Some eagerly, some tiredly, but all reaching for a bottle of water.

Suddenly, the older girl started walking over to Tzuyu, and even though Tzuyu had been a nervous wreck just moments before entering the room, she couldn't help but feel safe from the warm smile the other girl was wearing on her face. 

"Hi!" the girl greeted warmly, thankfully using one of the few Korean words Tzuyu knew.

"Hello," Tzuyu replied, the foreign word still awkward coming out of her mouth.

The look on the other girls face changed as if she had just come to a realization.

"你好!" The girl said eagerly, greeting Tzuyu again only this time in a language Tzuyu had been longing to hear ever since she had said farewell to her parents at the airport.

"你好!" Tzuyu replied, this time more energetic than before.

"我是智孝 (I am Jihyo)," She continued.

"我是子瑜 (I am Tzuyu)," Tzuyu replied. She had barely finished introducing her name before Jihyo had continued with something else.

"我漂亮吗? (Am I pretty)?" She asked, staring innocently straight into my eyes.

"Uhh," I stuttered. After a few seconds of shock, Tzuyu finally responded to her question. "是的，非常漂亮 (Yes, very pretty)."

She beamed and grabbed Tzuyu's hand, dragging her over to another girl. This one had skin as pale as tofu, and seemed to be just as energetic as Jihyo.

Unfortunately, Jihyo and the tofu girl started talking back and forth in Korean, while Jihyo pointed at Tzuyu while mispronouncing her name. 

"Chewy," she said, her thumb pointing back at her.

The girl looked up at her, Tzuyu towering over the small tofu. "你好我是大贤我爱你 (Hi. I am Dahyun. I love you)."

Tzuyu just stared. Dahyun, looked just as innocent as Jihyo had when she had asked her if she was pretty. What is happening? 

"Chewy?" Jihyo questioned, poking Tzuyu's shoulder.

It knocked Tzuyu out of her stupor as she was finally able to meekly reply, "我是子瑜 (I am Tzuyu)."

"Hi!" Dahyun had responded once again. Then, she turned around and bent down, rifling through what seemed to be her gym bag before finally finding something. She pulled out a stack of Pepero's and tore off the plastic before taking one out of the package and sticking it into Tzuyu's hand, smiling widely.

Tzuyu hesitantly took the candy from her, "Thank you," she said.

Now, Jihyo and Dahyun both started smiling widely. Jihyo kept patting her back like a mother while Dahyun started dancing wierdly as if in an attempt to get her to laugh.

The eagle-looking dance did manage to make Tzuyu crack a smile, and that's all they needed as encouragement to continue on with their antics, this time Jihyo joining in on the dance.

However, the dance seemed too intense as Jihyo's flailing arms had accidentally made contact with Dahyun's face, leading to an all out war between the two, and Tzuyu's smile morphed into a full laugh. As she stared at the two new girls she had just met while clutching her stomach and laughing hysterically, Tzuyu felt the hope and excitement return and wash over her body.

This is certainly a strange country, Tzuyu thought, but at least she had finally made some friends.


End file.
